GCSE Physics Week 4 Exam Preparation Tips

Hi there, welcome back to another Physics prep blog post!

I hope you had a great week and are feeling good to be one step closer to the stressful exam period finish line 😊 Last week we discussed Physics equation learning techniques, understanding exam question command words as well as practice paper time trials. Today we will be discussing several ways to help us destress when things feel like they are getting a bit too much as deadlines are approaching. As well as, different ways to revise that may help diversify the simple ‘eat, revise, sleep, repeat’ routine that you might be stuck in like a robot every day.

How do I de-stress?

Stress is a monster that grows and grows during exam season. Let’s touch on some ways to avoid it or tackle it when it should arise.

First things first, we need to identify the root that is causing your stress. I’m sure you know when you are feeling it but aren’t necessarily clear about what triggered it. Over the following week start trying to analyse and work out what these reasons might be for you. They could be tricky physics calculations, maybe a particular topic or more generally the fact you feel like you’re running out of time. All of these issues, yes ALL, are solvable but you cannot solve them until you know what they are. Lots of physics problems can be solved with help from your teacher or a friend that understands and general problems can be solved with time-management and techniques that help you to work smart not hard.

Another important thing to keep in mind for reducing stress is avoiding people or conversations about your exams that might cause you to nervously overthink in anticipation. It is not worth suffering through these conversations or spending time with these people if they contribute to you negatively.

Some tools for tackling stress once it has arisen are…

Deep breaths – cliché I know! But really… deep breathing can disrupt escalating stress by slowing your heart rate down while simultaneously getting more oxygen to your brain so you can think clearer and do better.

Exercise – in a similar way, this can distract you and get the blood pumping oxygen around your body better while also stimulating the release of happy hormones. Who doesn’t want happy hormones?! Especially when trying to fight off negative ones.

Being proactive – although stress can sometimes be so intense that it makes you want to run away from the problem and do nothing, this is going to increase your stress in the long run. It’s best to do something, even if it’s tiny, to help you feel even one step closer to the finish line. Equally, talking to someone about your worries is a good way to face the stress demon also.

Proving yourself wrong! – continuing from the previous point, if you overcome something you are worried about then your brain has proof you can do it again in future. So give the hard physics questions that you hate a good stab and show yourself that they are not so bad after all. With help from a teacher or friends, I promise you’ll get them eventually!

Using feedback effectively – concerning the ‘perfect practice’ progress table discussed in blog 2, keeping a log of the things going wrong which you can improve upon and get help with, is going to easily show you what to prioritise to work the most efficiently.

Diversify your revision to spice things up a bit

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that just sitting and reading through notes is not the most effective form of revision. Let’s discuss some better ones:

Mind maps – These are a super great tool for showing the interconnections within a subject. They’re visual, great as posters around the house and brilliant for testing yourself with by covering up and redrawing in rough to see what you remember and have forgotten. Speaking of posters it’s best to make them as simple as possible and have them on the wall above your desk (so when you look up and begin daydreaming, you’re actually still taking in information).

A great example for a poster to make could be drawing a big transverse and longitudinal wave on paper with different colours labelling parts of the diagram and some extra information like ‘SOUND’ and ‘LIGHT’ next to the longitudinal and transverse waves, respectively.

Flashcards – I used to find these invaluable on my journey to and from school while listening to music. This helped take the tediousness out of them because they were not the only thing I was doing, in fact, I was making use of otherwise wasted time. It’s always better to have more flashcards with less information than jamming as much on each card and making them hard to digest. Why not try putting a practice question you got wrong before on one side and the mark scheme points on the other?

Solo practise – This largely includes practise papers but also flashcards, maybe Quizlet or other forms of testing yourself. Maybe even make some practise questions of your own to answer and/or swap them with a friend.

Collaborative practice – This can be with friends, siblings or parents. Get them to test you and note where you’re still struggling.

YouTube – many YouTube videos break down the whole of the Physics GCSE courses. Give them a search, find the topics you struggle with the most and sit back with a cup of tea to enjoy.

Good luck with the week ahead!

Have any questions about how to prepare for your A-Level exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Imogen. Imogen will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Imogen will answer them in these sessions.